Thursday 29 September 2011

A Rural English Indian Summer - Cumbria, Durham & Northumberland

Wow!  If I had superpowers and controlled the weather, this would be exactly the kind of weather I would have chosen for my rural tour!  There I was worrying about wellies and the like and here we are in glorious sunshine and the perfect weather to enjoy the spectacular views in beautiful Cumbria.

Dufton
Kate and I had a great time at the first of our gigs last night.  A full house turned out and we had lots of lovely comments and positive feedback on our performance.  We are staying in a gorgeous B&B with amazing foods and very welcoming and knowledgeable hosts.  Couldn't ask for more really.

Dufton Village Hall
The audience
This morning, after a very hearty breakfast of freshly baked bread and local produce, we headed off for a walk along the Pennine Way.  Absolutely stunning views.

The view!
More stunning views
And yet more...
Kate - Pennine Way
And after the long walk I felt a cream tea in the cafe on the village green was more than justified. :-)


Village Green

UPDATE:  Sunday 2 October

We've had such a great time!  Cumbria was absolutely wonderful.  After Dufton, we had gigs in Boldron (technically Durham) and Armathwaite.  Full houses at both gigs again and absolutely lovely audiences as well as very gracious and helpful hosts.  All the great things you hear about northern hospitality are all true!
Dry stone wall and fells are typical of the Cumbrian countryside - stunning!
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We encountered several streams... and lots of mud! Those sequinned wellies wouldn't have stood a chance!

Then last night we drove to Wooler in Northumberland and played to a packed and very warm (in both senses of the word!) audience.  The weather was so warm that I didn't need a coat or jacket even at midnight.  Once more we were looked after very well but the well organised hosts.  The weather has turned a bit today but the views and autumn colours are truly spectacular.

Tonight is our last show in Stocksfield.  It will be sad to leave the countryside but I'm looking forward to having a break before my band and I head up to Wakefield Jazz Club on the 14 October.  I just can't keep away from the north these days!

Tuesday 27 September 2011

Musicians and Copyright

Apologies for being AWOL recently but I've been super-busy!

So far this summer I have been to Greece twice, up north to Wirral and I'm about to start my rural tour in Cumbria, Durham and Northumberland tomorrow.  And BBC weather states that we're heading for a UK heatwave - yay!  I won't need any wellies - which is just as well as I couldn't find any sequinned ones...

And next month I'm off to Moscow to perform there for the first time.  Before that I'll be back up north to Wakefield and then in December back again to Greece for some gigs over the Christmas period. :-)

I've also been rehearsing for a new European project with guitarist Jonny Phillips for the London Jazz Festival in November.  I'm planning to sing songs in Italian, French, German, Spanish and Russian!  Time to brush up on those language skills...

But back to the reason for this post.  An excellent guide to copyright has just been published by the wonderful Jazz Services.  It contains important information that every musician/composer should know.  Definitely worth checking out to make sure you're not missing out on any potential income.

Download the Jazz Services Guide to Copyright here